Improved alarm-bell



aient (hijita Late/rs Para; No. 90,173, :lated MayV 1s, 1ste.

IMPROVED ALARM-BELL.

The Schedule Vreferred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the sameA To all whom fit may concern Be it known that LILAWRENGE HoLMs, of Pater;

son, in the county of Passaic, in the State of New J erA Y sey," have invented certain' new and useful Improvements nrRinging Alarm-Bells; and I hereby declareI that 4the following is a.` full and exact descriptionv of the same, reference being had to' thehaocompanying drawing's, and to theV figures and letters of reference marked lthereon, and making a, partvof this specication, in ,thichj-` Y j Figure I is a sectional elevation.

e l FigurerII, a sectional elevation at right angles to o Fig. I.

Figure III, `:at'horizontal section, taken on the line a'.

-Eigure IV, a horizontal section', taken on the line b. Figure V, a horizontal section, taken on 'the line c'. Like lettersin the several figures refer to likevparts. The principal object of my invention is the prevention'of the breakage of bells. This I aecomplish by thel mechanism to be hereinafter described, compelling the hammer, .or clapperto travel around the perimeter of the sound-bow of the bell, and deliver its blows progressively thereon, This movement maybe given to the hamme either regularly, at every stroke of the hammer, or intermittently, atthe option of the ringer.

Itis well known that blows delivered for any considerable length of time upon the sound-bow of a bell in one or two places, will not only change the form of the bell from a circular to anelliptic, but will crystallize the partswhere struck into'a mass so foreign to the 4main body of the metal, thatdesintegration andvfracture, and the consequent desnfuction of the bell, must ultimately ensue. l g l Another object of my invention is to produce a more sonorous vibration in the metal of the bell, `and to prevent the abrasion of the surface ofthe sound-bow by the repeated strokes of the hammer. Those objects Iattaiu by arming the hammer with hard wood, or other similarly semi-elastic substance, andformiug the same of a contour corresponding tothe sectional profilev of the sound-bow of the'bell. f

I secure my tire-alarm bell in the usual manner, to a strongitimber in the `frame-work, or bell-tower, bythe bolt a, which has-a socket in its lower end, for the reception of the pivot b of the `spindle c, the spindle c being free to revolve therein.' r i n AThe lower e'ud ofthe spindlec is pivoted in, and supported bytheA step d, which rests in the strong cross-timber e, underneath the bell.

The lower portion of the spiudlecis cylindrical, and the upper portion slotted, Oropen, for a distance equa-l,

' at the` least, to the leugthofthe shank ofthe hammer or clapperj, which is suspended to, and swings in the frame-work formed by the `opening iu the spindle c.

` Upon the upper end of the clapperfshank j, I form a cross-piece, g g'for the vpurpose of fastening thereon the lspn'ngs h h', a circular plate being formed Aupon the extremity of each arm, upon which the springs may rest. I

At the end of the arm g is a double joint, to which are attached the rods, or connecting-links it', which, being moved up and down by the mechanismhereinafter described, give motion to the hammer.

The hammer j is of the pendulons kind, and swings to and fro through the opening in the spindle c, in which it is suspended, striking either one side only, or both sides of the bell, .at the will of the ringer.

A slot, ou mortise is formed through the strikingpart ofthe hammer, in the direction of its motion, for the reception of a piece of lignumvitae, or other hard wood, which constitutes the striking-faces of the ham. mer. I 'form the faces to a curve, corresponding to that of the sound-bow of the bell, so that the hammer may give its `blow to a deeper segment'ithan can be given by the usualspherical hammer.

The wood is secured into the hammer-head by means of a recessed mortise, into which it is locked by wedges of the proper form. i l y The links i i are jointed to the sleeve-piece k, which has lugs formed for their reception. Y

The sleeve k is free to slide up and down upon the spindle c, and to revolve therewith, being carried around by the feather c', which fits into a corresponding groove o in the sleeve-k. u

A swivel-collar, l, embraces the sleeve lc, and lls the is free to revolve, the collar remaining stationary. i Upon the collar lare two projecting studs, upon upper ends being attached to the arms of the forked lever n, by proper pins, or studs.

p p, and receives its motion directly at o, or indirectly, by any system of rods or levers, necessary to communicate motion from a distant part, by the hand of the bell-ringer.

The lever n 0 being moved up and down, the sleeve k,to which it is attached by the links m and collar l, will be raised' and lowered on the spindle c.

` The links i t' being attached to the sleeve lc, and the cross-arm g', a vibratory, or pendulousmotion will be given to the hammer, vwhich will thus be swung from .side to side of the bell.

The India-rubber springs h h impinge, or cushion, 4against the crown of the bell, and tend to throwback the hammerafterit has delivered its blow.

They also afford ready means of adjusting the amount of resistance best suited for the purpose, and obviate the disagreeable clutter usual where steel springs are used, whereon the shank of the hammer strikes. p f A tangential, or `worm-wheeld, is fastened near the lower end of the spindle c, for the purpose of giving rot-ary motion thereto.v y

groove near its lower end, and within which the sleeve which the lower ends of the links m m are jointed, the

The forked lever n has its fulcrum inthe standards l The worm fraud ratchet-wheel s are fast on the shaft t, which has its journal-bearings in the standards p p. A lever, t', swings loosely on the shaft t, and carcombination of the rotating spindle c, with the swinging hammer, all constructed and arranged substantially as shown and described. l

l claim, in ringing alarm and other fixed bells, in combination with a rotating spindle and swinging-hainmer suspended therefrom, the sliding sleeve It', feather c', links fi i, swivel-collar l, links m m,`and forked lever n, substantially as and for the purposesV shown and described.

In ringing alarm and other fixed bells, and iu combination with a rotating spindle and swinging hammer suspended therefrom, substantially as described, l claim, the tangential, or worm-wheel q, worm a', ratchetwheel s, lever tand pawl, lilik u, and lever e, for the purpose of giving rotary motion to the spindle c and hammer j, either together with, or independently of the ringing-mechanism, substantially as shown and described.

I claim, in combination with a bell-l1alnmer, the cross-arms g y', and springs h h, substantially as and for the purposes shown and described.

I claim, making the striking-faces of abell-hammer of a curvature corresponding in reverse to that of the sound-bow ofthe bell, substantially as and for the purposes shown and described.

I claim, arming a. bell-hammer with hard wood, or other semi-elastic material, substantially in the manner shown and for the purposes described.

LAWRENCE HOLMS.

Witnesses: f

GEORGE M. VAN HOSEN, JOHN W. VAN Hosen. 

